Alison MacLeod’s All the Beloved Ghosts is a collection of short stories that blur the lines we traditionally expect from fiction, biography, and memoir. It is a journey spanning continents,…
Screaming at books: Gail Godwin’s ‘Grief Cottage’
Everything about Grief Cottage called to me. The gorgeous cover. The summary. The author’s note. Gail Godwin refers to her interest in liminal spaces: “I’m drawn to those crossover places…
Black history is not confined to just one month
The Revolution will not be televised by Gil Scott Heron You will not be able to stay home, Brother. You will not be able to plug in, turn on and…
Demystifying the publishing process
PSU’s Ooligan Press hosts annual Write to Publish conference for emerging writers Jessica Clark and Alison Cantrell, a pair of grad students in their second year in the graduate program in Book…
Wordstock honors curiosity, craft and dialogue
“To be curious about something is to take a step forward,” said Carrie Brownstein, the memoirist, musician, and actor best known for Portlandia and Sleater-Kinney, at the First Congregational United…
Working writers discuss realities of the writing life
Writing is a great escape from the normal grind of life, but that doesn’t mean the task can’t seem overwhelming. For aspiring writers interested in pursuing their dreams, conversations with…
Perseverance pays for aspiring student author
Ancient Chinese strategist Sun Tzu famously said, “Opportunities multiply as they are seized.” One Portland State English major is proving the axiom true with her tenacious pursuit of success as…
Alum Josh Gross confronts estranged father in ‘The Funeral Papers’
Josh Gross, a Portland State alumnus from 2008, is a journalist, playwright and now published author of four books. His most recent, a memoir called The Funeral Papers, is the…
More reading?! Five inspirational post-grad books worth the effort
Congratulations! You’re done! You’ve accomplished something. Now comes the daunting task of figuring out what comes next. Maybe you already have your dream job lined up; maybe you’re going to…
Portland artist reimagines VHS covers of over 300 movies
Over the years, Portland-based sketch artist Tim Goodyear has drawn over 300 movie reviews in the old style of VHS covers. What originally began as a hobby in which Goodyear…
Grad student challenges sci fi conventions in debut novel
Kellie Doherty has always loved science fiction, but she finds many of the tropes and conventions limiting. A second year graduate student in the book publishing program at Portland State,…